Father of Slain Teen Goes on Hunger Strike

Zaza Saralidze, father of the murdered teenager Davit Saralidze, announced that he is on hunger strike, demanding a “fair investigation” into his son’s case and the punishment of all people involved.

Saralidze made the statement at a protest rally on Monday evening, organized by him and Malkhaz Machalikashvili, father of 19 year old Temirlan Machalikashvili, killed during an anti-terrorist operation in Pankisi Gorge in December, 2017.

The two men and their supporters are at the old Parliament building, vowing to stay there all night.

“I am demanding the resignation of the government, early parliamentary elections and the establishment of a temporary government,” Saralidze stated, adding the protests will last until all his demands are met.

“The authorities are covering for the murderers of my son… I'm not going to go anywhere, I will sit here at the Parliament building and I am going on a hunger strike from today. I call on every citizen to join us," said Saralidze.

On December 1, 2017, a fight broke out between several high school students behind their school, on Khorava Street in central Tbilisi. Two students - Davit Saralidze and Levan Dadunashvili - were stabbed to death during the fight.

On May 31, Tbilisi City Court charged two minors in connection to the murders - one for the premeditated murder of Dadunashvili and the second for the attempted murder of Saralidze; however, the court stated that could not determine who exactly had killed Saralidze, which sparked mass protests in the capital on the suspicion of an intentional cover-up.

Georgia’s Chief Prosecutor Irakli Shotadze resigned amid the protest rallies, while then-Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili ordered a re-investigation of the case as there were many questions left unanswered.

Zaza Saralidze asked the authorities to deliver concrete results and arrest his son’s killers and all the people involved, claiming he will not stop until all the offenders are held responsible.